Disadvantages of Tandem Breast Feeding

When
talking about disadvantages of tandem nursing it is easy to associate
and mix it up with just having and dealing with multiple children rather
than 1.

Next to some great pros of nursing your 2 children, there are however some cons of it.

Criticism
and lack of support. Make sure you look for the right support as tandem
nursing can already be very overwhelming at times. Having someone who
supports you and advises you at the moments, instead of questioning your
decisions, can save you a lot of unneeded stress. Keep in mind that
people who supported you when you breastfed your 1st child, might not be
as supportive when you breastfeed both at the same time.

Healthy
nursing mother can provide enough breast milk to provide for two,
three, or perhaps even four children since it works on a supply and
demand basis.

Physical
ability to nurse 2 children at once. It is hard to time their feedings
even though toddlers usually adopt to newborn’s nursing schedule. Keep in mind that some toddlers get a habit of eating every time newborns eats. Which is a lot. Some mothers nurse children separately, but that takes longer time.

Nursing
both children at the same time can over stimulate hormones for some
mothers. Tandem breast feeding can be not as enjoyable anymore. Try feeding
children separately. The unpleasant feeling of double nipple stimulation
when nursing both children usually ends when mother’s menstrual period
comes back.

Nursing During Pregnancy what to expect

Whether you are deciding or just going with the flow about tandem breast feeding you should keep in mind few factors.

To
be able to nourish an unborn child and nursing toddler, mother needs
to eat healthy, nutritious food so she can gain weight accordingly and
get enough rest.

Mother’s
milk supply will change during pregnancy. In fact, around the second
trimester, milk will start changing into colostrum which will have
different taste. Many children will wean at this moment. Some will eat
less and will go back to normal nursing after the baby arrives and milk
will taste heavenly good again. Other kids will not mind different taste
of the milk and will continue nursing as an emotional closeness to the
mother.

Many
mothers experience sore nipples during pregnancy due to hormonal
changes. It can get little more difficult when you add a nursing
teething toddler to your breasts. That’s when a lot of women ‘give in’
on tandem breast feeding. While there is no medical treatment for it you
could decrease the nursing sessions or try different breastfeeding positions
with your toddler.

Tandem Nursing Is it safe?

One
of the main concerns that mothers who are debating whether to tandem
breast feed is whether it’s safe for a newborn to share mother’s milk
with a sibling.

Is he getting enough milk?

Does milk provide all the
nutrients and fats as supposed to?

Because of these unanswered questions many mothers choose to wean their children during pregnancy.

There
seems to be no evidence that the unborn baby weighs any less at birth
when his mother nursed through a pregnancy then when his mother doesn’t.

Could breastfeeding lead to preterm labor?

Years
ago there used to be a belief that it is unsafe to breastfeed while
pregnant. But thanks to many scientific research nursing while pregnant
is proved to be totally healthy for mother and for children. It doesn’t
do any nutritional risk to fetus or increase the miscarriage.

However,
women who have a history of preterm labor or miscarriages from earlier
pregnancies, nursing can increase the risk of miscarriage of preterm labor. It all depends how sensitive is mother’s uterus to hormone.

3. Let the baby latch on the fuller breast since he needs more nutrition (especially the first days).

4.
A big, king-size family bed is a must for nursing. Especially tandem
nursing. A lot of stuff can be done there. Most importantly 2 things at
once. Feed kids while laying down and resting. I think tandem nursing
cannot be done without co-sleeping.

5. Try different nursing positions to find the one that fits best for all of you.

Double cradle - baby's legs on toddler

Double Football - baby positioned on a pillow an toddler sitting next to you

Side-Lying - your toddler perched on your side or kneeling behind you

Lying on your back - each child positioned on a pillow.

6.
Don’t forget to keep a healthy nutritious diet while nursing. Sleep as
much as you can. Care less about the dishes or the dirty laundry. After
all you are providing nutrition and calories for 3 human beings.

7. Finding support is very important.

contact La Leche League

look for other mothers who support tandem nursing to get some fresh ideas or just have somebody to call on “one of those days”.

make
sure your spouse is on board too since you might need his help with a
lot of things (including those dishes and dirty laundry).

8.
You don’t have to nurse both children at a time. If it is too much for
you (and for many women it is) then you can do a lot of other activities
with your toddler while your baby is nursing. Make a habit of a special
story time every time you nurse. It will make a nice bonding moment. As
long as you give him attention, your toddler should not feel left out.

9. Don’t
expect it to be easy. There will be days where it will look like you
won’t make it. Just think about the bigger picture then. They will not
nurse forever. Yet you are giving them the best start in life possible.
You and they will enjoy the benefits of tandem breastfeeding for the
rest of the life. How amazing is that!

"Tandem Breast Feeding was one of the most difficult things I have done in my motherhood," admits one mother. "But it was also one of the most rewarding, I never regret it" she adds.